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your realtime captioner is mrs. linda m. macdonald. another day of bitterly cold weather is gripping the bay area and a freeze warning remains in effect for the region. good afternoon, i'm michelle griego. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. people down in san jose were bundled up today, coats, scarves, hoods have been on all day long in hopes of staying

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warm. down in gilroy workers busy covering plants with tarps and moving them indoors. the smaller trees are more vulnerable in overnight freezing temperatures. lawrence karnow in the weather center with how long we'll be in the deep freeze. >> concerned about the cold temperatures, the third night we are looking at below freezing temperatures again especially in some of the interior valleys. freeze warnings have now been extended until tomorrow morning. expecting another round of these temperatures dipping down into the low 20s and the 30s. we actually had some temperatures dropping down into the teens early this morning. the overnight lows are forecasted to be slightly warmer than last night but it is still going to be cold. about 25 degrees in the napa valley. 26 in santa rosa. 32 and freezing in san rafael. i think even inside the bay again, temperatures at or just below freezing into tomorrow morning. and about 28 degrees in livermore. we have some big changes coming up after that. maybe a little snow on the bay area hills. more on that coming up in just

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a minute. back to you. >> thank you. dozens of people had to run into the freezing cold this morning to escape a fire that ripped through their apartment complex. kpix 5's kiet do spoke to neighbors who didn't have time to grab anything. >> reporter: saying this was a bad time for a fire would something there's a good time. nonetheless, on the coldest night of the year a bathroom at the bancroft apartments caught fire at 4:30 this morning. the smoke in the hall was down to knee level and forced dozens of people to evacuate. so basically from one danger to another, the freezing cold. >> it was. it was very cold last night and this morning. >> reporter: 75 people stood in subfreezing temperatures just in their pajamas, no jacket, and in some cases no shoes, for an hour before san leandro high school was able to open its doors. >> i had to go up there to talk to the officers about getting us into the high school because

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there was kids without shoes, without blankets. >> this is the coldest night of the year, freezing out here. >> reporter: one person suffered smoke inhalation another had chest pains. everyone avoided hypothermia. alameda county fire contained the blaze to just one apartment keeping it from spreading to the other 300 units. >> with the combination of the time, the number of residents the number of units, this fire could have been much worse. >> reporter: the bathrooms are undergoing some renovations, so investigators are looking into whether or not this fire was somehow related to the plumbing contracting work. in san leandro, kiet do, kpix 5. >> investigators say the building's fire alarm never went off. that's because it's a manual alarm and during the chaos no one remembered to pull it. one person has died after a house fire in benicia this morning. firefighters pulled an elderly couple and their dog from the home at about 2 a.m. but authorities say one of them died at the hospital a few

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hours later. a newspaper deliveryman smelled smoke at the house on larkin drive and then called 911. the fire was out in a half hour. search for a san jose family missing in idaho now in its fifth day. here's a look at the extreme conditions search-and-rescue crews run against. steep mountain ranges covered in snow and they continue for miles. 51-year-old dale smith and four family members were on a single- engine plan that disappeared in the area on sunday. despite the time though, experts believe they may still be found alive. >> if you have gasoline in the tanks you can use to build a fire, you're pretty well off. if he is not injured, i would say that chances that if he stays put are pretty good. >> rescue crews did detect a faint emergency transmitter signal in that area on tuesday. they are still now trying to pinpoint exactly where that signal came from. we have heard a lot about bart strikes and bart breakdowns but today bart police are in the spotlight. our anne makovec is in oakland where police just got a report

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on how well they are doing their jobs. anne. >> reporter: police had a lot of trouble the bart police department about four years ago. but according to this independent audit released to the bart board today, things have changed. >> dysfunctional. the culture was disfunctional. >> reporter: after the 2009 shooting of oscar grant was captured in this cell phone video, bart police accused of racial bias an excessive force commissioned a report from the national organization of black law enforcement executives, or noble, which found plenty of things to change. >> many outdated policies in the organization. there wasn't sufficient supervision or accountability. >> reporter: today noble says bart police followed most of their 55 recommendations including plans to start a new computerized early warning system to identify problem officers early. >> if an officer has use of force, citizens complaints, if an officer is late to work.

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>> reporter: of course, changing a culture is tough. just this last may, there was a naked acrobat attacking passengers at a station in san francisco. officers took a very long time to show up. bart now has additional training in dealing with the mentally ill and has gone from 24 to 40 hours a year of training on use of force. most passengers we spoke to didn't notice either way. >> i really haven't encountered it so i don't have a strong opinion about it. >> reporter: but others are thankful for an improved force. >> who do you call? the police. >> reporter: and others won't trust them no matter what. >> i never did from the beginning. i'm from east oakland. you know what i mean? you know, we don't get along with the police, period. >> reporter: bart is planning on beefing up its force. right now, there are about 200 bart police officers. by the end of next year, they plan on training and hiring 30 more. live in oakland, anne makovec, kpix 5. >> all right, anne, thank you. a section of i-5 in

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stockton was closed for hours this morning after police shot a man wanted for attempted murder in san jose. stockton police say chp was chasing a man when his car broke down on 5. he got out of the car with a knife in his hand and stockton police shot him to death. the suspect died at the hospital . a former head of new york and l.a. police department is taking on the largest police department one more time. bill bratton will be new york's police commissioner again. an official announcement is expected today. bratton recently work as a consultant for oakland's police to identify the department's shortcomings and ways to fix them. right now, fast food employees here in california and across the nation are walking off the job to demand better wages and the right to unionize. >> strike, strike, strike! organizing is our right! >> fast food strikes started in new york a year ago have spread to 100 cities today including oakland. strikers demand $15 an hour pay. most workers make less than

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half that at the federal minimum wage. the walkout comes shortly after president obama and the pope spoke out against income inequality in recent days. milpitas police are looking for the woman and man seen here in this surveillance video. police are trying to figure out who that woman is and if she is okay. an ac transit camera caught the man dragging her away screaming from a bus stop in milpitas on tuesday night. it happened here on calaveras boulevard. it's unclear if the two people know each other. the driver called 911. officers couldn't find them. anyone with information is asked to call police. the suspect accused of killing a daly city man over a playstation is being held on $5 million bail. 21-year-old ronnie collins now charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted robbery. prosecutors believe collins shot 22-year-old ikenna uwakah sunday after the victim and his

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girlfriend arranged to sell them his playstation 4. the city council voted to ban ecigarettes from parks, restaurants and other nonsmoking places. critics say it has dangerous chemicals. carlsbad in southern california banned them. los angeles has the same restrictions on them as regular cigarettes. in an hour cal is expected to announce which company is buying the naming rights for its football field at memorial stadium. the university has not officially revealed the sponsor but a "new york times" blog reports that it's videogame maker kabam. 15-year deal expected to bring in about $18 million to cal. up next, an american teacher working in libya gunned down outside his school. the latest on the investigation into his murder. >> the effort to rescue a pod of stranded whales in the florida everglades continues. why it may already be too late. >> it has been clear and cold, now some rain could be coming our way. maybe a little snow we'll talk about that coming up. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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after a coordinated terrori attack in the capital city. ew up a car dark cloud of smoke poured out of yemen's defense ministry building after a coordinated terrorist attack in the capital city. suicide bombers blew up a car of explosives while gunmen old fire with assault rifles and hand grenades. authorities say 52 people were killed, 170 people wounded. authorities suspect al qaeda is behind that attack. and in libya, an american teacher was shot and killed this morning while out on a jog. 33-year-old ronald smith was reportedly running near the u.s. consulate in benghazi when he was shot. no one has claimed responsibility for his murder.

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but suspicion is likely to fall on islamic militants. he teaches chemistry at the international school in benghazi and was planning to fly home next week for the holidays. for a third straight day crews are trying to rescue a pod of stranded whales in the florida everglades. dozens of the pilot whales were first spotted tuesday afternoon struggling in dangerously shallow waters. some had beached while others were trapped offshore. wildlife experts are quickly trying to direct the whales back to the ocean because their chance for survival is growing slimmer by the minute. >> there's not a whole lot that can be done unless they can bring some other boats and figure out how to get them in the deep water. >> so far, ten whales have died and about 40 more remain stranded. this particular species is notorious for mass strandings in florida. the embattled toronto mayor who admitted to smoking crack while in office is in hot water again. mayor rob ford is denying allegations that he offered $5,000 and a car to suspected

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drug dealers in exchange for a video that shows him smoking crack. ford called the allegations a quote outright lie and he says he has no plans to resign. some good economic news is putting pressure on the stock market today as investors brace for news that the federal federal may scale back bond purchases. -- that the federal reserve may scale back bond purchases. the dow is down more than 70. we are not the only ones feeling the chill. winter storms moved across the midwest bringing several feet of snow to some areas. denver the salvation army worked to get homeless people out of the cold and de-icers were out to keep the roads safe. people in texas, oklahoma and arkansas gearing up for an ice storm that could cause travel delays and power outages. i think in montana it was 30 below zero. >> high in denver today, 9 degrees. >> oh, that's always fun. >> my cousin drives one of those de-icing trucks. >> he is working! >> very busy.

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we have ice problems of our own here in the bay area. very cold temperatures outside this morning. now we're looking at severe clear. that's from our producer kelly -- excuse me, director. she is getting in my ear right now. she is right! lots of clear skies out there right now. looking good. the arctic air is settling in. the temperatures now only in the 40s outside. 45 right now in santa rosa. 47 in san jose. and 49 degrees in san francisco. throughout the afternoon we'll see clear skies going to stay a little chilly and then clear and cold tonight. freeze warnings going up all around the bay area except for san francisco. and then by tomorrow the middle of the day we'll begin to see a few clouds and maybe some showers developing late in the day. but that cold arctic air continues to dive into california right now. behind that, just beginning to develop. we have an area of low pressure that's going to drop into the bay area. that will likely be the system that brings a chance of showers and maybe some snow down to about 1500 feet in some of the

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north bay mountains. temperatures around the state looking at 40s and 50s into the central valley. so cold there and cold in the high country about 28 in lake tahoe. computer models showing a clear day today and then the clouds roll in and then by tomorrow night, some showers beginning to develop around the bay area. not a whole lot of moisture with this system. but one thing it will do, keep the temperatures from getting as cold tomorrow night and into saturday morning. all right. with that in mind, temperatures for today are going to stay chilly. 49 degrees in mountain view. 49 in milpitas. and 50 degrees in san mateo. east bay numbers only running into the 40s this afternoon. then inside the bay maybe slightly warmer, 51 degrees in oakland, 50 san francisco, 49 stinson beach. overnight lows in the 20s and 30s in the interior valleys even 30s inside the bay again. and next couple of days, a chance of a few scattered showers as we head in toward late friday and saturday. looks like we'll finally see those temperatures returning closer to normal toward the middle of the week. sunset tonight 4:51.

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sunrise tomorrow, 7:10. yes, mr. mallicoat, you have a question, sir? >> i want to ask, do you know who your producer is? i do not know who my producer s i don't even know who the director is. >> our director kelly said thank you for the traffic report. >> thank you, kelly. [ laughter ] i came back struggling with, you know, what can i do to help? >> a bay area woman goes on vacation and comes back a changed person. how she is helping families thousands of miles away. >> and kpix 5 is looking for a veterinarian to appear on television. to nominate a vet you know email us at pets@kpix.com. we'll narrow down the field and let you vote on our new pet expert. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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to face with families strugg in poverty. now she's helping as many as she can - from right here ie bay area. kate kelly introduces us to today's jefferson awar a peninsula mother's trip to peru is helping people in the bay area now. kate kelly introduces us to today's jefferson award winner. >> this is a peruvian belt. >> reporter: they are colorful handcrafted works of art. >> this is all paper, paper beads, and this is coming from uganda. >> reporter: and stacey horowitz knows the story behind each and every item. >> these are from rwanda. the majority of women who make these are hiv-positive. >> reporter: from jewelry to woven bowls and knitted sweaters stacey imports an emporium of crafts from 23 countries almost all of them made by women struggling to help their families. >> they want the same thing for their families and children as we do, they want a roof over their head, feed and educate them. >> reporter: three years ago it was her family trip to south america that inspired stacey to do something.

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>> the poverty that i saw in peru in contrast with the beauty of the people and how colorful it was and all of the artistic talent there, i came back struggling with what can i do to help? >> reporter: she got to work raising money and started a nonprofit called "shopping for a change." >> so i developed a web-based platform where we sell the artisans' products. they are paid right up front. it's all fair trade. once we get everything in, i have to price it and tag it and organize it. >> reporter: her garage studio is now a stockroom. when you buy something on stacey's website, the money does three things. it pays the artist. it supports the community project where they live. and it contributes to a u.s. nonprofit that you select when you check out. >> it's great to want to help these people in these underdeveloped countries but we also need help here at home and i didn't want to ignore that. >> reporter: while we aren't talking about huge sums of money just yet, a little goes a long way.

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>> when you empower a woman in a community, it tends to trickle down everywhere. >> reporter: so for improving the lives of families around the world one gift at a time, this week's jefferson award in the bay area goes to stacey horowitz. kate kelly, kpix 5. >> at the "shopping for a change" website you can buy a necklace for as little as $5 or a hand crafted bowl for a couple of hundred. >> they're beautiful, too. stacey expects to sell $25,000 of items this year. nominate your local hero online at kpix.com/hero. the mystery is over about a man who left thousands of tips all across the country at restaurants. who is the secret santa. >> well tell you coming up. >> a reminder if you have a consumer problem or question, call our hotline 888-5-helps-u. volunteers are there right now. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

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parsley. the anon tony tantillo is shopping for something healthy today. he is showing us how to pick out flat leaf parsley. >> reporter: well, today's tip of the day is going to be is italian flat leaf parsley. use it in so many different dishes when we cook on television or i make something. there's a good chance this is

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going to be part of the recipe for a garnish or to put into the pan with some other products because it releases some beautiful oils to it to give it a great flavor but selection and storage is very important. let's talk about selection. when you buy them, bigger the leaf the better. free from any yellowing whatsoever, nice and green and standing straight up like this. this is nice and fresh. when you bring them home, open up that plastic bag. put them in the refrigerator two or three days at the very most. italian flat leaf parsley, should be a staple in your kitchen like it is in mine. i'm tony tantillo, your fresh grocer. and always remember to eat fresh and stay healthy. well, the anonymous man giving out tens of thousands of dollars in tips, we may know who he is. the gawker blog valley wag says the mystery tipper is former paypal exec jack selby. since september he left more than $50,000 in tips at restaurants across the country including two in san francisco. one of those tips was for

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$1,500 along with a note, "tips for jesus." the associated instagram account has gone viral. pretty nice though, right? the. >> if you see him walk in your place. >> the waiters will fight over it. >> have him sit in your section for sure. >> walking today it's cold out. >> chilly everywhere back into the deep fries tonight, showers and snow tomorrow night, that would be neat, back in the deep freeze. >> our producer loves it. >> so does our director. [ laughter ] >> have a great afternoon. captions by: caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com

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>> hope: oh. hi, aunt katie. >> katie: hey. how was your photo shoot? >> hope: oh, it was great. we got some really good shots out of it. >> katie: i bet. i can't wait to see them. >> hope: so, uh, what, did you and liam switch offices? [ chuckles ] >> katie: no, no. i was in here with him earlier, and i just decided to come by and pick up a few things. >> hope: okay, well, i'm sure he's just running around the building, so i'll wait for him. >> katie: actually, um, i think he might have left for the day.